Breaking In is Hard to Do
}}Elan and Haley have snuck off, stealthily preparing for a jail break. Cast * Haley Starshine ◀ ▶ * Elan ◀ ▶ * Tarquin (in manual) ◀ ▶ * Arena Guards with Manual ▶ Transcript Haley (whispering): Ready? Elan (whispering): Yup! I've got my elveny boots on and everything. The two are seen outside a picketed fence before a prison compound. Haley (whispering): Follow me, then... just don't shout, "I got a 4!" like back in the first dungeon. Elan (whispering): Hey, that was a long time ago. Elan (whispering): I think I've grown a lot since then. Elan (whispering): This is really important and I understand that. Elan (whispering): Plus, now we're involved in complex personal storylines instead of just cracking silly jokes. Elan cups his hand to his mouth, bellowing loudly. Elan: BESIDES, I GOT A 9 THIS TIME! Haley: *sigh* Elan: YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE BOOTS ADD FIVE! Two guards run to the sound of Elan's clumsy skill roll. Guard #1: Halt! Identify yourself! Elan: Uh oh, I don't even know that spell! Haley: Don't you know who this is? This is General Tarquin's son, Elan. Haley: He's being put in charge of the prisons once this festival is over, so you better listen to him. Elan: Haley, I don't want to work for— Haley (whispering): Elan, shut up! The second guard, of fair skin, appears nervous. Elan maintains a cheesy smile in his bluff. Guard #2: Oh crap—I think she's telling the truth! Guard #1: It does look exactly like him... Guard #1: But why would he be creeping around prison grounds at night? Elan loses his cool countenance, gets nervous. Elan: Uh... Surprise inspection! Haley: We're checking if conditions are safe for your older prisoners... particularly humans over 60 years old. Haley: With fair skin. And possibly a beard. Elan: Yeah! Guard #2: Oh, OK. Well, I think if you'll just follow us down this way, you'll see— Guard #1: Wait a sec, I'm pretty sure I highlighted something about inspections in the manual... The guard looks towards an open book in his hand. Guard #1: Yeah, here it is. The book is seen, zoomed in, with a good deal of text clearly legible. Highlighted is a passage clearly relevant. Tarquin's Tips Pictures of all members of the prison staff are posted in the lounge. Get to know them! Do not keep big dangly key rings fastened to your belt in plain sight. Surprise Inspections * We do not have surprise inspections. Ever. * Especially not at night, when other guards have been called away to another event. * The inspectors in front of you? They're intruders. * Get them. Sound in the Bushes * Someone is throwing a rock to distract you * Try looking in the opposite direction from where the sound originated * If... Haley and Elan flee, the guards chasing after, scowling. Elan: Man! Is having someone who points out all the cliches in all your plans always this annoying? Haley: I love you, so I'm not going to answer that. D&D Context * Boots of Elvenkind grant a +5 competence bonus to Move Silently checks. * Identify is a 1st level bard spell, though not one that Elan knows. It allows the properties of a magic item to be determined. Trivia * The title is a play on Neil Sedaka's #1 hit song from 1962, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do. This is the second strip to feature a reference to this song. The other is #377, "The Crayons of Time: Breaking Up is Hard to Do". * Elan recieved Boots of Elvenkind when the party divided loot in #130. * In panel 2, the poster on the fence is the one advertising the games shown in #741. * Elan yelled "I got a four" when attempting to move silently in #90, Consequences of a Failed Skill Check. * This is the first appearance of the Arena Guards with Manual. * Tarquin's manual and tips may be a reference to the Evil Overlord List, a list first developed in the early 1990's on internet forums. It details things to do and not do for an Evil Overlord. External Links * 766}} View the comic * 181401}} View the discussion thread Category:Haley Finds her Father